Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell, reflecting on his team’s outstanding 47-20 victory over the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on New Year’s Eve, paid tribute to the way his team fought back and took control of the game to emerge deserved victors.
“We weren’t clinical enough in the first 15 or 20 minutes of the game, particularly with our exits and conceding penalties that allowed the Bulls to get points on the board,” he explained.
The Bulls had taken an early lead after scoring the first try of the game, but once the Cell C Sharks had settled into their rhythm, the momentum swung back into their favour, an advantage they never relinquished.
“We’ll look at ourselves, especially around that period of time in the game when we did things that are out of character and got penalised for them,” Powell added. “But it was definitely a step-up in the last 10 minutes of the first half when we were a lot more clinical and played in the right areas of the field.
“Our pack definitely did the job for us and a lot of credit must go to the forwards for the way they scrummed and mauled the Bulls.”
Setting a platform is vital to be successful in rugby, but it’s up to the finishers in the backline to capitalise on the forwards’ hard work and Powell admitted that the centre pairing of Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Lukhanyo Am certainly added firepower in the midfield.
“They’ve had two good performances in a row, they’re starting to find each other and feed off one another, but with a competition this long with so many matches in a season, you have to manage your squad well to have them fresh and ready when you get to the knock-out stages. Squad rotation is going to be really crucial and we’re fortunate to have four to five really good centres.”
Powell admitted that it was a very satisfying victory, particularly in the grand scheme of things.
“It was a big win, especially if you look at the log; we needed these five points. It was important that we won, especially as it was a home game, we want to win all our home games.
“This is a sign of a team playing with confidence, not being predictable either. We could have managed the game a lot better in the early parts and played with more discipline, but when we got into the Bulls’ half, especially during the last 10 minutes of the first half, the guys really played well.
“Hopefully as the season progresses, we can put a performance like that together for 80 minutes and not just for a part of the game. We will look to get more consistency right through the game rather than playing good rugby at times.”
For now, the Cell C Sharks are well-placed with two games in hand still, having won five matches on the trot, three of them in the URC. But there is also a balancing act with player resources, getting the best out of everyone but not overplaying anyone.
“We will have to manage the team and individuals through this period, although we do have all our Springboks available for the Heineken Champions Cup games which is a bonus, and then when they’re away, it’s a great opportunity for the other guys in the squad to show that they can play at this level.
“There’s healthy internal competition in the squad which is exactly what we want, we want to see the guys pushing hard for positions in the team because that lifts the standards in the whole squad.”
The post Reflections on a Big Win appeared first on The Sharks.
THE SHARKS MEDIA RELEASE: KOLISI TO JOIN RACING 92 AFTER THE 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP:
Durban, 03rd January 2023: The Sharks can confirm that Siya Kolisi has been granted an early release from his contract, to join French club Racing 92 after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The Springbok captain joined the Cell C Sharks in 2021, and he has quickly become an integral member of the team. He has naturally served in a key leadership role and was recently appointed as captain for the Heineken Champions Cup. He will leave with the full blessing of the Cell Sharks when he bids the team farewell after this year’s World Cup.
The Sharks CEO, Dr Eduard Coetzee said they looked forward to Kolisi’s continued contributions to the team for the remainder of the season before wishing him well in the next phase of his career.
“Siya has been an instrumental and much-loved member of the Cell C Sharks family since his arrival two years ago. His well-documented and commendable leadership qualities extends far beyond the playing field and this is none more so evident than his involvement with the launch of the Players First programme, as well as his commitment in the expansion of The Sharks brand to a global market.
“His move to France is a new and exciting opportunity and we could not be happier for him. We are blessed to have him don the black and white jersey and we know that over the next few months, he will continue to give back to the team and our fans.”
This multi-year signing is part of a broader long-term collaboration between the Cell C Sharks and Racing 92, with the two clubs having come to an amicable agreement, while they also look forward to continuing to build a mutually beneficial relationship in the future.
The collaboration will involve quarterly meetings of owners and management, and an exchange of ideas about player sharing, coaching expertise and branding. Racing 92 will become part of the global network of relationships being established by the Sharks as it seeks to expand the brand in Europe and the North American market in the years leading up to the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
Kolisi thanked the team for enabling him to take up this new challenge from the 2023-24 season onwards.
“It has been an incredible collaborative effort between The Sharks and Racing 92 that has enabled me to start a new chapter in my career after the 2023 World Cup. I want to give a massive thanks to the Cell C Sharks for welcoming me with open arms in 2021, and for making me feel so at home in Durban, while their support over the last couple of years has been hugely influential during a key period in my career. I am immensely appreciative that the Sharks have given me their blessing to make this move, and it goes without saying that I will continue to give my all for the team over the next few months.”
Looking ahead Coetzee added: “Over the last two years, our focus has been on building strong depth in our squad, and we look forward to our upcoming games and watching the Cell C Sharks team play to their full potential.”
The post THE SHARKS MEDIA RELEASE: KOLISI TO JOIN RACING 92 AFTER THE 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP appeared first on The Sharks.
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Have you tried: Travelling to South Africa?
Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: The truth is unlike other parts of South Africa, Durban never really experiences winter and it’s often why it’s dubbed “South Africa’s playground”. It’s almost always sunny in Durban and the warm current keeps the land warm so the lowest our temperatures drops to is about approximately 18° Celsius (64° Fahrenheit). Local people, of course, believe even this drop is too much to bear and they stay at home covered in blankets.
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